Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
02-28-2007, 11:58 PM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
All three GP yaks that went in with me flying them had the GP Rimfire 950KV reccomended power! Look at the pics! Two of the three had Tpower 2100 mah 3 cells and one was running on a Tpower 2100 mah 4 cell. I now have a Hacker A30 22 in mine with a Carbon fiber modafication to the stabb and Its holding up ok now. The 950 KV rimfire is a complete waste and does not 3D this Yak very well at all.
When I spoke with customer service they claim there is no issue known! I have over 51 flyable planes and all were purchased in one years time. Unless GP steps up to compensate within reason....GP will never have a home in my house nor any of my flying pals.
When I spoke with customer service they claim there is no issue known! I have over 51 flyable planes and all were purchased in one years time. Unless GP steps up to compensate within reason....GP will never have a home in my house nor any of my flying pals.
ORIGINAL: G.P.
It's obvious that the elevator has has some issues, but what were you thinking when you put an A30-16m in a plane of this size? That's asking for problems on a plane of this size, especially one with known problems.
It's obvious that the elevator has has some issues, but what were you thinking when you put an A30-16m in a plane of this size? That's asking for problems on a plane of this size, especially one with known problems.
03-01-2007, 01:07 AM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
I never said there wasn't an issue. I actually stated the exact opposite.
I'm saying that if my shop had five of them laying on the counter, and I obviously knew that there was an issue, I wouldn't go and stick an engine that is greatly overrated for the airframe in it without doing some modifications. Even if there weren't any known issues I wouldn't stick a motor in that is capable of almost double the recommended power without doing some modifications.
Even the 4 cell 2100 that you used was beyond GP's specs; they recommend a 1320 to 2100 3 cell battery. Maybe I'm just too cautious because I don't have the time to build 51 planes a year, or even to build the same one four times.
I'm saying that if my shop had five of them laying on the counter, and I obviously knew that there was an issue, I wouldn't go and stick an engine that is greatly overrated for the airframe in it without doing some modifications. Even if there weren't any known issues I wouldn't stick a motor in that is capable of almost double the recommended power without doing some modifications.
Even the 4 cell 2100 that you used was beyond GP's specs; they recommend a 1320 to 2100 3 cell battery. Maybe I'm just too cautious because I don't have the time to build 51 planes a year, or even to build the same one four times.
03-01-2007, 09:31 AM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
Gentlemen, I think you both are right. 200 watts per pound is what I understood as the benchmark for the best 3d punch out form a hover. So, a Hacker A30-16M should be a 200 w/lb solution that many other designs are caple of sustaining. (assuming 28oz airframe & 350 watts from the A30-16M) Unfortunatly this airframe can barely handle the 133 w/lb the Rimfire provides. Remember this plane is marketed as Great Pains "performance series" that performs demanding precision and 3D airobatics! (thats right off the box). Yes , there is added risk overpowering any model, but most designs seem to handle 150 to 200 w/lb range with proper throttle managment. Insuficient strength in design + manufacturing defects + inconsistant balsa quality + poor service = Great Pains. Good news though, after only 6 weeks of effort my warped motor box parts showed up in the mail yesterday. Unfortunatly the excitment usually associated with building / adding a new plane to the hangar wore off long ago for me on this exercise in agrivation.
03-01-2007, 10:47 AM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
Trust me G.P., I'm not trying to say that the plane that had the Hacker A30-16 wasn't extremely overpowered.....But that was not me. Regardless...like BUSH TRIPPER said....200Watts per lb is the benchmark for perfect 3D and even when I used the 4 cell which IS recommended for this bird for "MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE" right from GP's Literature...my plane wasn't even there.
In a nutshell.....Any GOOD performance 3D plane should handle the 200watt per lb mark and also should have GREAT service for such an expensive ARF compared to many....and If it doesn't do this, Its TRASH in my Opinion. I know we are all entitled to our opinions and that is mine.
I only stated my models as I overpower all of them and this is the first plane that I've owned that has ended up being a Total POS in stock factory out of the box form that needs a few mods to handle what it should handle stock. AND have the company not stand behind it besides just keep replacing the birds until the stock goes away and they improve the next batch, if at all.
Example: I have a Hyperion Yak 54" with A HACKER A 50!!! on 6 cells!!! Talk about overpowered, This bird came out to 368 watts per lb....Guess what? That Hyperion DID NOT come apart! It handled it without even a burp! Thats stupid power and I've pulled it out as it is a waste but it did not fail. That is a GREAT plane. Hyperion hands down is MUCH better in MHO!
In a nutshell.....Any GOOD performance 3D plane should handle the 200watt per lb mark and also should have GREAT service for such an expensive ARF compared to many....and If it doesn't do this, Its TRASH in my Opinion. I know we are all entitled to our opinions and that is mine.
I only stated my models as I overpower all of them and this is the first plane that I've owned that has ended up being a Total POS in stock factory out of the box form that needs a few mods to handle what it should handle stock. AND have the company not stand behind it besides just keep replacing the birds until the stock goes away and they improve the next batch, if at all.
Example: I have a Hyperion Yak 54" with A HACKER A 50!!! on 6 cells!!! Talk about overpowered, This bird came out to 368 watts per lb....Guess what? That Hyperion DID NOT come apart! It handled it without even a burp! Thats stupid power and I've pulled it out as it is a waste but it did not fail. That is a GREAT plane. Hyperion hands down is MUCH better in MHO!
ORIGINAL: G.P.
I never said there wasn't an issue. I actually stated the exact opposite.
I'm saying that if my shop had five of them laying on the counter, and I obviously knew that there was an issue, I wouldn't go and stick an engine that is greatly overrated for the airframe in it without doing some modifications. Even if there weren't any known issues I wouldn't stick a motor in that is capable of almost double the recommended power without doing some modifications.
Even the 4 cell 2100 that you used was beyond GP's specs; they recommend a 1320 to 2100 3 cell battery. Maybe I'm just too cautious because I don't have the time to build 51 planes a year, or even to build the same one four times.
I never said there wasn't an issue. I actually stated the exact opposite.
I'm saying that if my shop had five of them laying on the counter, and I obviously knew that there was an issue, I wouldn't go and stick an engine that is greatly overrated for the airframe in it without doing some modifications. Even if there weren't any known issues I wouldn't stick a motor in that is capable of almost double the recommended power without doing some modifications.
Even the 4 cell 2100 that you used was beyond GP's specs; they recommend a 1320 to 2100 3 cell battery. Maybe I'm just too cautious because I don't have the time to build 51 planes a year, or even to build the same one four times.
03-01-2007, 10:52 AM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
Well...I think that everyone agrees that GP has dropped the ball and turned their backs to the QC issues here and left us all hanging to lose. We all agree that this bird has issues and does not perform like they claim on reccomended power which forces us to upgrade to get the proper performance from the plane and now they claim that the upgrades are what is causing the failure....Whatever, GP can stick it as far as I'm concerned! NO more GP ever...Period. POS!!!
03-01-2007, 12:22 PM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
the 4 cell which IS recommended for this bird for "MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE" right from GP's Literature
"The YAK 54 EP 3D ARF has been tested with 11.1V LiPo
packs ranging from 1250mAh to 2100mAh. Order numbers
are provided for packs of this size. The lighter 1250mAh
pack is suggested for maximum performance. A 20C
discharge pack is necessary for best performance."
and
"Battery: 3-cell 1250 to 2100mAh LiPo battery &
LiPo-compatible charger"
http://manuals.hobbico.com/gpm/gpma1542-manual.pdf
Either way it's obvious that there is a problem. There have been lot's of small e planes with elevator issues in the past year, but all of those companies stood by their planes. Even EF and SA both made elevator amendments after their first shipments hit the streets. I would much rather support a company that admits a mistake and helps people out with it. I haven't had a problem with mine yet (I have it set up real light though - A20-22L & 3 cell 1320), but if I do I won't be getting another just because of what I have read here. Sorry I have to ask, why did you keep buying this plane after it's flaws started to show up?
Greg
03-01-2007, 04:59 PM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
GP,
Yeah ...I think we agree on alot of things, as far as why keep purchasing? I didn't... I bought one, My pal bought one and two other freinds also bought one each at the same time. I used a Rimfire 950 KV and one other guy did as well. The other two had Hacker A30 22 and a Hacker A30 28 installed.
Mine went in, and all three of my freinds did as well. LHS replaced all 4 planes and we built the new replacement birds with our CF Modafications to the stabb and now they are great with the exception to the fourth one which was built by a LHS employee using struts between the vertical and horizontal stabs which did not work and that fourth plane went in as well. That fourth plane was using a Rimfire 950 KV motor as well.
I personally lost 2 lipos= a 4 cell 2100mah TP in mine and a 2100 Mah 3 cell TP that I loaned my buddy for his maiden (I was the pilot then), (1) 45 amp GP esc, (1) 950 KV rimfire motor, (1) Berg 7 Receiver, and 2 out of 4 servos. That equates to $330.00 that GP is telling me..... "It Happens" This just my personal loss...not including my freinds lost electronics.
Yeah ...I think we agree on alot of things, as far as why keep purchasing? I didn't... I bought one, My pal bought one and two other freinds also bought one each at the same time. I used a Rimfire 950 KV and one other guy did as well. The other two had Hacker A30 22 and a Hacker A30 28 installed.
Mine went in, and all three of my freinds did as well. LHS replaced all 4 planes and we built the new replacement birds with our CF Modafications to the stabb and now they are great with the exception to the fourth one which was built by a LHS employee using struts between the vertical and horizontal stabs which did not work and that fourth plane went in as well. That fourth plane was using a Rimfire 950 KV motor as well.
I personally lost 2 lipos= a 4 cell 2100mah TP in mine and a 2100 Mah 3 cell TP that I loaned my buddy for his maiden (I was the pilot then), (1) 45 amp GP esc, (1) 950 KV rimfire motor, (1) Berg 7 Receiver, and 2 out of 4 servos. That equates to $330.00 that GP is telling me..... "It Happens" This just my personal loss...not including my freinds lost electronics.
03-01-2007, 05:45 PM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
That's a pretty good hobby shop that you have. I don't know if mine would give me anything out of their own pocket; they even charge for stickers with the shop name on it!
Just a heads up - if you send Castle an email about the berg they will probably replace it for a flat fee. They have great customer service and will almost always replace it for the fraction of the original cost if they can't fix it - http://www.castlecreations.com/support/faq.html . The Berg 7 is $30.
Just a heads up - if you send Castle an email about the berg they will probably replace it for a flat fee. They have great customer service and will almost always replace it for the fraction of the original cost if they can't fix it - http://www.castlecreations.com/support/faq.html . The Berg 7 is $30.
03-01-2007, 07:03 PM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
Yup. I have had esc's that were burnt up and they replaced them with the newer versions for the flat fee. I didn't even need the receipt (I bought some used). I haven't tried the repair policy for the receivers but I would expect the same great service.
03-02-2007, 04:34 PM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
Yes, the same hobby shop on Cactus and 32nd. To be honest, the owner of the shop doesn't seem like he wants to talk about it any longer. I am just very dissappointed with the whole situation from the manufacturer down to retail, this is why I will be buying almost everything I get online from now on. I am shocked to see all these magazines rating this flying turd so highly when we have clearly found that the airplane is completely unflyable. There is not even a mention of any problem whatsoever of tail or wing weakness. I was babying my airplane when the tail folded up on mine, it was the maiden flight and my throttle never went past half stick. I know G.P. thinks we are all full of crap, but I have another yak from the same lot sitting in my garage and I will be happy to build it exaxctly the same as I did the other. I will then fly the airplane in the exact manner as I did originally and video tape the flight as the tail folds up. If you are willing bzyguy01 to tape the flight I will build.
ORIGINAL: bzyguy01
Hey Caliberfiveo,
When did yours go in? Also...are we talkin about the same LHS on Cactus and 32nd? If so I'm curious to see what it is that the owner told you he would do for you as I have been waiting for nearly 2 mos. for a reply as to what GP is going to do about all our Electronics that we lost due to their POS yak! I was trying to be good about it but the owner told me that the recent reply they gave him is "It Happens". This was just on monday....I'm Furious!!! I also maidened my freinds GP yak that the store employee owns and another employee assembled it with "Struts" on the rear elevator and this folded up in maiden as well.
Hey Caliberfiveo,
When did yours go in? Also...are we talkin about the same LHS on Cactus and 32nd? If so I'm curious to see what it is that the owner told you he would do for you as I have been waiting for nearly 2 mos. for a reply as to what GP is going to do about all our Electronics that we lost due to their POS yak! I was trying to be good about it but the owner told me that the recent reply they gave him is "It Happens". This was just on monday....I'm Furious!!! I also maidened my freinds GP yak that the store employee owns and another employee assembled it with "Struts" on the rear elevator and this folded up in maiden as well.
03-02-2007, 04:47 PM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
The crash happend back in December when the airplane first came out, on the same weekend it happend to bzyguy1. There were no known problems with the airplane at that time, just the reputaion of Great Planes. Also, its not like I put an A-50 on the plane, an A30-16m is not that much more powerful than the recommended motor. Look at the specs from Hacker, the motor is rated about 50-75 watts higher than recommended powerplant.
ORIGINAL: G.P.
It's obvious that the elevator has has some issues, but what were you thinking when you put an A30-16m in a plane of this size? That's asking for problems on a plane of this size, especially one with known problems.
It's obvious that the elevator has has some issues, but what were you thinking when you put an A30-16m in a plane of this size? That's asking for problems on a plane of this size, especially one with known problems.
03-02-2007, 04:51 PM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
I was babying my airplane when the tail folded up on mine, it was the maiden flight and my throttle never went past half stick. I know G.P. thinks we are all full of crap, but I have another yak from the same lot sitting in my garage and I will be happy to build it exaxctly the same as I did the other. I will then fly the airplane in the exact manner as I did originally and video tape the flight as the tail folds up. If you are willing bzyguy01 to tape the flight I will build.
I totally agree on the magazines. I haven't seen any of the flaws reported on this one or thr reactor. This was actually brought up on one of the rcgroup threads about this plane and somebody tipped me off about "RC Report". I just received the first issue and must say that I'm pretty impressed. It's the first rc magazine I've read that actually tells the downside of a product (kind of like Dirt Bike magazine back when Super Hunky was the editor, if you have any idea of what I'm talking about). They claim that they will even go as far as telling you not to buy something, but I haven't read anything like that yet. It was a little pricey to get it shipped to Canada, but cancelling all of my other subscriptions will make up for it.
http://www.rcreport.ws/
Cheers,
Greg
03-02-2007, 04:53 PM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
ORIGINAL: caliberfiveo
The crash happend back in December when the airplane first came out, on the same weekend it happend to bzyguy1. There were no known problems with the airplane at that time, just the reputaion of Great Planes. Also, its not like I put an A-50 on the plane, an A30-16m is not that much more powerful than the recommended motor. Look at the specs from Hacker, the motor is rated about 50-75 watts higher than recommended powerplant.
The crash happend back in December when the airplane first came out, on the same weekend it happend to bzyguy1. There were no known problems with the airplane at that time, just the reputaion of Great Planes. Also, its not like I put an A-50 on the plane, an A30-16m is not that much more powerful than the recommended motor. Look at the specs from Hacker, the motor is rated about 50-75 watts higher than recommended powerplant.
ORIGINAL: G.P.
It's obvious that the elevator has has some issues, but what were you thinking when you put an A30-16m in a plane of this size? That's asking for problems on a plane of this size, especially one with known problems.
It's obvious that the elevator has has some issues, but what were you thinking when you put an A30-16m in a plane of this size? That's asking for problems on a plane of this size, especially one with known problems.
, I seriously doubt that you are running it at Hackers recommended specs; they are highly underrated. Mine is pulling over 400 watts and barely gets warm.
03-02-2007, 04:59 PM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
They replaced your planes! I am pissed, they didn't do a damn thing for me. Nice that I was left out of that mix. I am in there almost 3 times a week and probably spend an government employees monthly income worth of merchadise. They better hook me up to or they may be losing me as a customer!
ORIGINAL: bzyguy01
GP,
Yeah ...I think we agree on alot of things, as far as why keep purchasing? I didn't... I bought one, My pal bought one and two other freinds also bought one each at the same time. I used a Rimfire 950 KV and one other guy did as well. The other two had Hacker A30 22 and a Hacker A30 28 installed.
Mine went in, and all three of my freinds did as well. LHS replaced all 4 planes and we built the new replacement birds with our CF Modafications to the stabb and now they are great with the exception to the fourth one which was built by a LHS employee using struts between the vertical and horizontal stabs which did not work and that fourth plane went in as well. That fourth plane was using a Rimfire 950 KV motor as well.
I personally lost 2 lipos= a 4 cell 2100mah TP in mine and a 2100 Mah 3 cell TP that I loaned my buddy for his maiden (I was the pilot then), (1) 45 amp GP esc, (1) 950 KV rimfire motor, (1) Berg 7 Receiver, and 2 out of 4 servos. That equates to $330.00 that GP is telling me..... "It Happens" This just my personal loss...not including my freinds lost electronics.
GP,
Yeah ...I think we agree on alot of things, as far as why keep purchasing? I didn't... I bought one, My pal bought one and two other freinds also bought one each at the same time. I used a Rimfire 950 KV and one other guy did as well. The other two had Hacker A30 22 and a Hacker A30 28 installed.
Mine went in, and all three of my freinds did as well. LHS replaced all 4 planes and we built the new replacement birds with our CF Modafications to the stabb and now they are great with the exception to the fourth one which was built by a LHS employee using struts between the vertical and horizontal stabs which did not work and that fourth plane went in as well. That fourth plane was using a Rimfire 950 KV motor as well.
I personally lost 2 lipos= a 4 cell 2100mah TP in mine and a 2100 Mah 3 cell TP that I loaned my buddy for his maiden (I was the pilot then), (1) 45 amp GP esc, (1) 950 KV rimfire motor, (1) Berg 7 Receiver, and 2 out of 4 servos. That equates to $330.00 that GP is telling me..... "It Happens" This just my personal loss...not including my freinds lost electronics.
03-02-2007, 05:06 PM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
I am being honest with you. Please consider that the incident happened on my maiden flight at half throttle. I was not pushing the aircraft hard whatsoever. I am also not saying that I will never buy a G.P. product either. I have quite a few G.P. airplanes including my absolute favorite the 81" Yak-54 which I converted to electric power and flys 3D like a raped ape.
.
ORIGINAL: G.P.
Common, be honest now , I seriously doubt that you are running it at Hackers recommended specs; they are highly underrated. Mine is pulling over 400 watts and barely gets warm.
ORIGINAL: caliberfiveo
The crash happend back in December when the airplane first came out, on the same weekend it happend to bzyguy1. There were no known problems with the airplane at that time, just the reputaion of Great Planes. Also, its not like I put an A-50 on the plane, an A30-16m is not that much more powerful than the recommended motor. Look at the specs from Hacker, the motor is rated about 50-75 watts higher than recommended powerplant.
The crash happend back in December when the airplane first came out, on the same weekend it happend to bzyguy1. There were no known problems with the airplane at that time, just the reputaion of Great Planes. Also, its not like I put an A-50 on the plane, an A30-16m is not that much more powerful than the recommended motor. Look at the specs from Hacker, the motor is rated about 50-75 watts higher than recommended powerplant.
ORIGINAL: G.P.
It's obvious that the elevator has has some issues, but what were you thinking when you put an A30-16m in a plane of this size? That's asking for problems on a plane of this size, especially one with known problems.
It's obvious that the elevator has has some issues, but what were you thinking when you put an A30-16m in a plane of this size? That's asking for problems on a plane of this size, especially one with known problems.
, I seriously doubt that you are running it at Hackers recommended specs; they are highly underrated. Mine is pulling over 400 watts and barely gets warm.
03-03-2007, 01:50 AM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
I have been eyeing up that yak too. I love those counter balanced ailerons. Very Cool.
I really don't know if I'll buy another GP product. I have an extra 300s Gene Soucy that I really like, but this plane has kind of spoiled their name. Actually it's the customer service that I keep hearing about, not really the plane.
Ok, I believe you. Seriously though, you should put that A30 in a real airframe and have some fun with it. Don't waste it on a tiny plane like this. I have mine in an Extreme Flight extra 300 and it's a real floater. I have a Steven's Aero Edge 540 waiting to go on the building block that it'll be going into next. If you have the time, build one of these. With the A30 the wing loading is insanely low and if you push the Hacker a little you can get up to almost 200 watts a pound. I can't wait.
I really don't know if I'll buy another GP product. I have an extra 300s Gene Soucy that I really like, but this plane has kind of spoiled their name. Actually it's the customer service that I keep hearing about, not really the plane.Ok, I believe you. Seriously though, you should put that A30 in a real airframe and have some fun with it. Don't waste it on a tiny plane like this. I have mine in an Extreme Flight extra 300 and it's a real floater. I have a Steven's Aero Edge 540 waiting to go on the building block that it'll be going into next. If you have the time, build one of these. With the A30 the wing loading is insanely low and if you push the Hacker a little you can get up to almost 200 watts a pound. I can't wait.
03-04-2007, 10:58 PM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
I've heard that the Extreme Flight Extra 300 is a real animal, I have their Yak-54 and I love flying it. I am kind of afraid of Edge 540s because I heard they are really hard to land, is that true from your experience?
ORIGINAL: G.P.
I have been eyeing up that yak too. I love those counter balanced ailerons. Very Cool. I really don't know if I'll buy another GP product. I have an extra 300s Gene Soucy that I really like, but this plane has kind of spoiled their name. Actually it's the customer service that I keep hearing about, not really the plane.
Ok, I believe you. Seriously though, you should put that A30 in a real airframe and have some fun with it. Don't waste it on a tiny plane like this. I have mine in an Extreme Flight extra 300 and it's a real floater. I have a Steven's Aero Edge 540 waiting to go on the building block that it'll be going into next. If you have the time, build one of these. With the A30 the wing loading is insanely low and if you push the Hacker a little you can get up to almost 200 watts a pound. I can't wait.
I have been eyeing up that yak too. I love those counter balanced ailerons. Very Cool.
I really don't know if I'll buy another GP product. I have an extra 300s Gene Soucy that I really like, but this plane has kind of spoiled their name. Actually it's the customer service that I keep hearing about, not really the plane.Ok, I believe you. Seriously though, you should put that A30 in a real airframe and have some fun with it. Don't waste it on a tiny plane like this. I have mine in an Extreme Flight extra 300 and it's a real floater. I have a Steven's Aero Edge 540 waiting to go on the building block that it'll be going into next. If you have the time, build one of these. With the A30 the wing loading is insanely low and if you push the Hacker a little you can get up to almost 200 watts a pound. I can't wait.
03-05-2007, 12:04 AM
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
I'm glad to hear that you like the EF yak, I'm just waiting for a motor to arrive and mine will be ready for when the snow melts.
I have never heard anything bad about Edge's, at least not the SA edge. I haven't finished mine yet, so I can't really say though. It's the next airframe that my A30-16m is going into, after I total the edge. I have seen video of the SA edge and the wing loading is ridiculously low. It lands WAY slower than the EF extra and definately slower than this yak with the A30 in it.
The ef extra has 400 squares and usually comes in around 35 ounces.
The SA edge has 440 squares and comes in around 33 ounce with the same equipment.
You can check it out here: http://www.stevensaero.com/shop/prod...53&page=1#tabs
Video: http://www.stevensaero.com/download/video/edge_0001.wmv
There's a huge thread on it here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=394700
I have never heard anything bad about Edge's, at least not the SA edge. I haven't finished mine yet, so I can't really say though. It's the next airframe that my A30-16m is going into, after I total the edge. I have seen video of the SA edge and the wing loading is ridiculously low. It lands WAY slower than the EF extra and definately slower than this yak with the A30 in it.
The ef extra has 400 squares and usually comes in around 35 ounces.
The SA edge has 440 squares and comes in around 33 ounce with the same equipment.
You can check it out here: http://www.stevensaero.com/shop/prod...53&page=1#tabs
Video: http://www.stevensaero.com/download/video/edge_0001.wmv
There's a huge thread on it here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=394700
03-05-2007, 01:25 PM
#71
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
Do you have a lot of experience building balsa kits? I don't know if I have the time to build a kits from scratch, but I hear that if you really want to get to know the hobby you should build kits instead of just consentrating on ARFs. I would like to get some experience building some planes from the ground up. Problem is that I have no covering experience and the plane would probably look like hell when I was done[&o]. If I decide to go that way, I will definately consider the SA Edge 540.
ORIGINAL: G.P.
I'm glad to hear that you like the EF yak, I'm just waiting for a motor to arrive and mine will be ready for when the snow melts.
I have never heard anything bad about Edge's, at least not the SA edge. I haven't finished mine yet, so I can't really say though. It's the next airframe that my A30-16m is going into, after I total the edge. I have seen video of the SA edge and the wing loading is ridiculously low. It lands WAY slower than the EF extra and definately slower than this yak with the A30 in it.
The ef extra has 400 squares and usually comes in around 35 ounces.
The SA edge has 440 squares and comes in around 33 ounce with the same equipment.
You can check it out here: http://www.stevensaero.com/shop/prod...53&page=1#tabs
Video: http://www.stevensaero.com/download/video/edge_0001.wmv
There's a huge thread on it here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=394700
I'm glad to hear that you like the EF yak, I'm just waiting for a motor to arrive and mine will be ready for when the snow melts.
I have never heard anything bad about Edge's, at least not the SA edge. I haven't finished mine yet, so I can't really say though. It's the next airframe that my A30-16m is going into, after I total the edge. I have seen video of the SA edge and the wing loading is ridiculously low. It lands WAY slower than the EF extra and definately slower than this yak with the A30 in it.
The ef extra has 400 squares and usually comes in around 35 ounces.
The SA edge has 440 squares and comes in around 33 ounce with the same equipment.
You can check it out here: http://www.stevensaero.com/shop/prod...53&page=1#tabs
Video: http://www.stevensaero.com/download/video/edge_0001.wmv
There's a huge thread on it here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=394700
03-05-2007, 03:53 PM
#72
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
The edge is only my 4th kit. I don't find them that hard, but some of the instructions that come with them leave a lot to the imagination. I have heard that the SA kits are the bes/easiest kits to build. I have only just started mine, but it seems to be true. The parts fit really well. I think you could almost assemble the plane without glue first, then just go back and add ca! The instructions are really well written so far too.
Covering is definately the hardest and most time consuming part. I could probable frame up a small plane like the edge in a weekend, but easily spend 3 weeks covering it. Most of that is because I suck, but it is time consuming. It all depends how much effort you want to put into it. I have discovered that spray paint works pretty well to. Just cover in one color, then roughen the surface with scothbrite, clean with isopropyl, and spray. I'm not too sure how well it will hold up, but I use a couple layers of clearcote to help make it last. I'm sure that it wouldn't work well on a glow plane, but probably will be just fine on my electrics. Here's a pic of my all grey HET F18 with sparay paint added.
Covering is definately the hardest and most time consuming part. I could probable frame up a small plane like the edge in a weekend, but easily spend 3 weeks covering it. Most of that is because I suck, but it is time consuming. It all depends how much effort you want to put into it. I have discovered that spray paint works pretty well to. Just cover in one color, then roughen the surface with scothbrite, clean with isopropyl, and spray. I'm not too sure how well it will hold up, but I use a couple layers of clearcote to help make it last. I'm sure that it wouldn't work well on a glow plane, but probably will be just fine on my electrics. Here's a pic of my all grey HET F18 with sparay paint added.
03-14-2007, 04:24 PM
#74
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RE: Great Planes 41" YAK 54 Elevator Issues
Hey bzyguy01 - what sort of CF mods did you do to your tailfeathers? I have a yak on the way and want to make sure I take all of the precautions to keep it in one peice.